After two mass shootings over the past week, United States Representative and Republican Peter Meijer held a town hall Wednesday evening where he addressed his stance on gun reform.
The shooting in Uvalde Texas last week that killed 19 students and 2 teachers with an AR-15 assault rifle the shooter had recently purchased on his 18th birthday, and the shooting in Tulsa, Oklahoma Wednesday that killed four adults with an AR-15 assault rifle, the shooter had bought at a gun store just an hour earlier, sparked one of the first questions out of the gates Wednesday evening for United States Congressman Peter Meijer, who represents Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District.
With the AR-15 or similar style assault rifle having been used in the majority of mass shootings that have occurred since Columbine, what does Rep. Meijer think the Federal Government should or shouldn’t don’t do in terms of banning the weapons all together, or at least making them harder to get?
Here is his answer...
“I think one of the biggest challenges with trying to get into the category definitions of what constitutes an assault rifle. And it's not an easy thing. When it comes to a lot of these questions and these issues, one thing that we've seen be effective is making sure that law enforcement have the tools that they need in order to be able to keep weapons out of the hands of folks who are potentially dangerous. Now, the challenge there as well is, you know, I'm a federal official, so naturally, the question is; what things should be done at the federal level? When it comes to extreme risk protection orders, those, I believe are far more effectively implemented at the state level."
Meijer, a Republican, has served one term in congress so far. He is currently running for re-election and faces a number of opponents in the Republican primary in August.
He is endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
